I'm in the market for tires for our 2012 Prius v (wagon) we purchased a couple months ago. I was having shudder problems at speeds around 70MPH, the steering wheel was not centered, etc... I took it to my trusted shop and they told me it was entirely due to the tires. Apparently the previous owner took really poor care of the tires ( ran under inflated for long periods of time )...and also some other problems causing the shudder. Hard to believe it was totally due to the tires but I do trust this shop. I was all set to get Mich Defenders on the v (wagon). We have them on the 2010 and love them. Unfortunately, no Defenders listed. In fact, the only decent tire they have listed is the Premiere A/S at $140 a tire! Sorry..not paying that. I'm assuming this is due to the stupid 'V' rating requirement that Costco has.... I do see some talk recently that the Altimax RT43 is a decent tire. TireRack has them for $340 for a set ( $400 shipped w/tax ). Not sure what to do...sigh
We just installed a set of Continental Pure Contact (98V) eco/LRR and are impressed. Of course, YEMD (Your Experience May Differ).
To close some loop in these treads...I ended up ordering a set of Michelin Defenders.. Story here : I need new tires again, whats the "best out there?" | Page 2 | PriusChat
But most new tires, when compared to older worn out tires, are almost always acclaimed to be better. Gotta justify the wisdom of our decision to buy this particular brand.
You forgot to mention the crack pipes, dropped rocks and weed dust. At least that's what my neighbor finds in his kid's car.
I grabbed some Hankook 724s for $41.85 each from Amazon via Prime. Next day to my door, $13 to mount and balance each. Very happy. And yes, the new tires are superior to those worn out ones. Lots more tread.
Great deal! However, Those Hankooks might me alright in California...but they are absolutely horrible in ice and snow (as are most Hankooks). Also beware of Kumho for snow/ice...absolutely horrid tires for that application. Kumhos were on our Hyundai Sonata when we purchased it new and boy....bad news. However, I still have them on there because I mostly drive one of the other vehicles in winter. They are just as bad in snow/ice as the Hankooks. Maybe poor snow/ice performance is a common thing with the Korean manufacturers?
Winter is rough here in the land of perpetual summer. It actually got into the 50's this year. Brrr....
